How To Copy A Magician
by Eludia
Summary: Ayumi, a young aspiring hunter, has exceptional abilities that come at the cost of her long-term memory. She finds herself in the middle of the 286th Hunter Exam surrounded by dangers only to be met by one more, a magician. An unexpected relationship develops between someone with no interest in the past and one who can't remember it. on hiatus
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first fan fiction. Make sure to leave reviews and stuff.  
**

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.:Chapter 1:.

Ominous screams could be heard throughout the foggy wasteland. The wispy-looking white substance making up air was incredibly thick; Ayumi, one of the many examinees, was unable to make out the shape of her hand in front of her face much less the dangerous beasts lurking around. Despite being lost in the middle of nowhere, unable to see more than a few centimeters away from herself, she knew to appreciate the lack of monsters violently chasing her down at the moment. Part of this comparatively fortunate circumstance was a result of careful movements and patience. One would argue that the other reason was pure luck, but Ayumi attributed it to the reckless behavior of the other examinees.

The first phase of the exam had barely begun, yet the number of examinees had already been cut down by quite a bit. This frightening fact merely emphasized the importance of keeping a level head when thrown into the unknown. Patience and good strategy were especially important during this phase. Not to mention the need to constantly stay alert to any change, no matter how seemingly insignificant, was the biggest key to survival.

Ayumi sensed movement deep in the forest. It felt much closer than the examinees dealing with the monsters and it was definitely more precise than any wild animal. It was still too far away for her to make out any sounds; she could just barely even feel the movements. The girl froze while she tried to read the movement, careful not to alert the cause if she hadn't already. Eventually it came close enough for her to distinguish the sound from the pleading cries.

Gradually the faint sound of crunching grass replaced the distant screams. She quickly concealed her presence in the nearest nest of bushes she could find as the sound approached her. The cause of the sound stopped where Ayumi had just been before hiding.

"Damn...we lost her again!" a voice called out. Ayumi recognized it as one of the other examinees. Although she was very confident that she would be able to kill him easily, she did not want to take any chances. She wouldn't want to risk underestimating him. After all, the man was skilled enough to tail her for quite a while without her noticing.

She carefully examined his aura before deciding to strike, however, another figure appeared next to the first just as she prepared to leap out. Ayumi stopped in her tracks.

"Wasn't she just here?" the second voice questioned with an irritated tone.

"She can't be far, I'm sure I sensed her just a second ag—" the man was cut off mid-sentence. The fog was too thick for Ayumi to properly see what had happened, but she felt a shiver rush down her spine. The first man's aura suddenly disappeared leaving her able to sense only a single person left.

"That's the last time you will disappoint me. I just need to take your tag, then I can finish the rest of this phase myself."

Ayumi immediately realized that the first man had been attacked. She soon realized that the biggest threat in the Hunter Exam was not the exam itself nor was it the examiners, but in fact the other examinees. Although she had feared this from the beginning, she initially refused to believe it to be true.

Suddenly the second man's presence also disappeared. Ayumi was almost immediately snapped out of her thoughts. He hadn't left, at least she didn't feel him leave nor had she heard him. His presence had disappeared as subtly as the first man's.

The girl felt unsure about whether to stay and remove the badges from the examinees or to leave and avoid confrontation with more competitors whom she was incapable of locating. This was essentially a choice of one out of two bad options. Staying to loot the bodies for their badges could result in being ambushed by a pair of examinees who had already teamed up for the first phase, which could mark the end to her exam and her life. Leaving the bodies would probably lead to an unfortunate end with an attack from one of the beasts since she had no way of knowing exactly where the monsters were. Reluctantly she decided to go with the former, figuring she would rather die facing other people than against violent animals.

After waiting for what she felt to be long enough, she decided to leave her hiding spot to investigate the scene. She felt a pair of eyes on her figure as she inched closer to the previous spot of the two men. She completely stopped moving the moment she felt someone watching. By now, it was guaranteed that only a single person was watching from nearby; this time she had paid closer attention to her surroundings. Knowing that only one person was watching, she began to feel slightly more confident in herself. The problem was: confidence wouldn't be able to help her see in the fog, yet somehow they were able to see through the thick soup. Ayumi wished that she could see them as well, but also hoped for the remote possibility that the gaze she felt was a simple coincidence. It was obvious that until they were within her line of sight it would be impossible for her to see as well. Knowing this, she closed her eyes so that she could focus on her other senses. The only noises she could hear were the everlasting ring of silence and her own shallow breathes. The presence quickly disappeared making Ayumi believe that she had just imagined it. Ever since the first phase was revealed to take place in the fog, she couldn't help but feel panicked and jumpy. After concluding that she had imagined the presence Ayumi wasted no time in arriving at the bodies to examine them.

Ayumi gasped when arriving at the corpses. Though they were both clearly dead, the bodies seemed as if they were still full of life. It was too late now, but both men had died without even realizing they had been targeted. Closer inspection revealed a single playing card protruding from the skull of the second man. The unsettling image did not faze Ayumi in the slightest. She was expecting them both to be deceased when she arrived; the only surprise to her was the unusual choice of weapon.

.:End Chapter:.

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 **Just to be clear this begins in the exam that happened the year before Gon, Killua, and friends took their exam.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yay! Chapter 2 is done!**

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.:Chapter 2:.

Three cards suddenly came rocketing towards Ayumi from behind. She managed to catch all three without a scratch; however, the abruptness caught her off guard. She was disoriented and toppled to the ground next to the other two bodies. The two dead men were the only obstacles separating her and the source of the cards.

Once again, the sound of footsteps approached her. Ayumi decided it beneficial for her to play dead and conceal her presence until the cause was within her limited line of sight. The fog truly made it difficult to see; she was surprised that anyone could see through it and even more so that they could properly navigate through. As the figure drew near, Ayumi tensed.

"So boring" the person sighed. He was just close enough for Ayumi to identify a tall man's silhouette; in just a few more steps she would've been able to see his face clearly. All she needed was to make eye contact, even for just a split second, and then she would be able to see perfectly through the impenetrable fog. The resonance of crunching grass stopped before he even arrived at the men's corpses.

Ayumi worried if she had alerted him to her presence. None of his presence had been sent out far enough to sense her lifeless act. She had been careful to even disregard her need to breathe for a short time. After silently begging for him to continue, the man took another step closer. He finally made it to the bodies behind the sprawled out girl and squatted down to loot them for tags. Once he arrived at her body, she would be able to identify the stranger and survey their surroundings.

He stood back up and made his way over to Ayumi, whom he believed to be the last corpse. The man's golden eyes unexpectedly met with a pair of red orbs. The fog seemed to dissipate for Ayumi instantly and the man immediately leapt backwards to establish distance between them. At the same time, Ayumi shot the cards back at the stranger with intent to kill. Both were cautious with their actions, not quite knowing each other's strengths yet.

Much like the small girl before him, he was caught off-guard by the sheer force and speed behind each card. Both the power and swiftness of her thrown cards rivaled his own. His breath hitched with realization that he would be unable to escape them unscathed.

His eyes widened; the cards were too fast for him to see them all perfectly, much less stop them. They accelerated too much for him to catch, so he settled for catching one headed for his slender neck before quickly contorting himself enough to escape critical damage from other two. After the frightening ordeal, he was left with two deep cuts in his upper arm and hip; one card barely slid between his fingers almost slicing clean through his throat. Instead, he was lucky enough for his neck to be simply grazed.

He quickly looked up and their eyes met once more, each locked in bewilderment due to the other's agility. Ayumi's mind was in a contradictory state of panicked confidence. Confidence came from the initial view of his eyes, which, in turn, allowed her to see. Panic came after observing how he handled the calamity. In contrast, he experienced pure excitement emulating a child who recently received a new toy.

Ayumi reminded herself to keep a positive mentality if she had any inclination to survive a fight against an unexpectedly strong opponent so early into the exam. It was vital for her to waste no time in analyzing her opponent. She found herself staring up at the mysterious examinee, and gasped at his abstruse appearance. He was at least a full foot taller than her with incredibly pale skin for someone assumed to be outdoors often and had an incredibly toned stature. His bright red hair, contrasted his pale complexion making him appear almost ghostlike if not for the colorful dye. His golden eyes captivated her; they were almost the complete opposite of hers. They were sharp and his gaze seemed as if it pierced right through her. The uneasiness caused her to avert her eyes and study the rest of him. A light green teardrop was painted on his left cheek and a bright yellow star on the right. His white attire was adorned with the various suit symbols commonly found in a deck of cards. Everything about his appearance disturbingly paralleled a jester. His intimidating presence sent shivers down her spine. There was more to this mysterious man than his odd attire. He was clearly different from the other examinees, yet not in a way she expected.

Simultaneously, the tall jester stared down at her. Her most alluring feature were her wide, almond shaped eyes. They were crimson, a color he loved, as if they were bleeding. Despite having such a dangerous color, they were inherently innocent and lost like a child's. They still seemed to hold odd secrets aside from their contradictions. He forced himself to look away, knowing these eyes were probably dangerous to look into for too long. Beautiful things tend to conceal thorns. He studied the rest of her body, though she looked above average in terms of strength and agility, it would have been impossible for her to match his strength in 10 years, much less now. She had a small frame draped over by a black sleeveless hoodie adorned with zippers and form fitting, navy blue pants. Her skin was similarly pale, but more delicate. She had long stark black hair that layered over her shoulders with parts of it dyed blood red. The only words that came to mind in describing her appearance were soft and vulnerable. Even as she attempted to stare him down, had she not launched such a strong attack seconds ago, he would have seen no reason to feel so threatened by her presence. The man loosened up in an attempt to make the strange girl drop her guard. She continued to meticulously watch his movements. He opened his mouth to speak, but she ended up beating him to it.

"You reinforced those cards with your wispy stuff." she stated.

"Wispy stuff?" he looked at her quizzically "You mean aura?"

"Yeah...t-that" Ayumi stuttered.

The magician remained silent. She had noticed his Shu without using any kind of ability herself. He'd met a limited number of people who could do that easily. Seeing this girl's potential both worried him and excited him at the same time.

"What's your name?" he inquired, pointing a finger at Ayumi.

She immediately glared at him and straightened up her posture before bringing her hand to her cheek. She pulled off the pink strand he had attached to her.

"You can't trick me with this." she threw her end of the pink substance back at him. His thin lips twisted into a smile at how easily she had removed it.

"You're getting me all tingly," he smirked at her. "Care to play a game? I need to be _entertained_ ," he replied flirtatiously.

The conspicuous bulge in his pants caught her attention, and she felt her face heat up. She turned beet red, before yelling. "You fucking PERVERT!"

Next thing he knew, he was hanging from the trees by a perfect imitation of his own stretchy pink strands. He admired the substance restricting him because of how it flawlessly resembled his own.

Ayumi stared up at the suspended magician in disgust as he casually smiled back in response. He tried to remove the gum-like substance like the girl before him, but he found it incredibly difficult. Deciding that it wasn't worth the effort to break free just yet, he savored the difficult position and unknown tortures that she would deliver. Soon she was rummaging through his clothes in an attempt to find the numbered tags from the two previous examinees. She pulled them out after feeling them in a hidden pocket. "I'd kill you, but I don't have that kind of time or effort to waste on a pervert right now." she told him coldly before heading deeper to the forest.

"You don't have to be so mean." He realized that killing her now would probably waste her potential; seeing that she could easily imitate almost everything he had done so far. "I have two more tags if you're willing to partner up with me." He smiled mischievously.

"Be careful about what you say. I didn't feel anything else when I checked you."

The magician finally mustered all of his strength to pull himself free from the sticky strands. He was still surprised at how genuine they looked. "People refer to me as a magician for a reason," he smirked as he pulled two more tags out of thin air.

Ayumi initially gasped, but was intrigued by his whimsical attitude. She quickly reviewed the deal in her head. The goal of the first phase of the exam was to obtain four tags with a partner and discover the exit from the foggy forest together within two days. Assuming the two didn't kill each other, they could focus on escaping immediately if she accepted. Neither her stamina nor aura, as he called it, seemed as if they would run out any time soon so she was confident he wouldn't be able to kill or abandon her easily.

"Sure, I'll be your partner for now," she nodded and held out her hand for him to hand over the tags. He chuckled, wrapping his own hand around hers instead. He taunted her by tossing the tags to smoke in his other hand.

"It wouldn't be fun if you ran with all the tags and threw all my hard work away," he pouted. Ayumi already regretted her decision, but felt that backing out now would just make the exam more difficult.

"Now tell me, what's your name?" he looked into her eyes seriously this time. He looked as if he would definitely attempt to kill her if she didn't cooperate this time. Not that he was upset, rather he found it getting harder to control his excitement for her.

She stared back at him for a second deciding whether or not she still wanted to partner with him, then quickly looked away while reluctantly mumbling, "Ayumi."

"Ayumi?" he dug his nails into the arm holding hers as he spoke. A slight amount of blood gushed out and he felt his level of excitement rise. Thankfully, Ayumi didn't notice nor would she have cared too much if she did.

She nodded in response. She felt it unfair for her to not know his name now that he knew hers. It was fairly certain that he didn't possess powers that could cause harm only knowing her name and face, but other kinds of interference may occur later in the exam or even afterwards. His name was necessary for increasing control over the amount of her risk in their interactions. She looked back up at him, but was astonished by the discomforting smile twisted into his lips as he tightened his grip on her hand and gazed up at the sky.

She gathered the courage to ask him. "Will you tell me yours?"

He looked back down at her with a bored expression, though his eyes continued to drill holes straight through her. She felt his hand loosen up around hers and eventually let go of it altogether. He curiously stared at his own hand for a moment, wondering what caused the strange jolt that urged him to tighten his grip on her. He stole a glance before giving his response, "Hisoka."

.:End Chapter:.


	3. Chapter 3

**After alot of editing chapter 3 is finally done! I'm sorry this took a while. Mostly my fault for getting distracted and finally watching Nanatsu no Taizai.**

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.:Chapter 3:.

A faint rumbling interrupted the silence that had lasted throughout the hours Ayumi and Hisoka used for finding the site of phase two. Ayumi clawed at her stomach, hoping that it would miraculously put an end to the embarrassing noise. She had already depleted her food supply while they were searching but didn't expect to need more so soon. Though it wouldn't be directly fatal if she waited until the end of the phase tomorrow night, her body was beginning to feel weak. If Hisoka were to attempt something in a few hours it would be impossible to escape unscathed. The unfortunate circumstance compelled her to push her limits and conceal her weakness.

Hisoka picked up on her brief panic after hearing the bubbly sound. He immediately had a general understanding of her supposed predicament. She was probably worrying herself over what would happen if she were attacked. She was clearly vulnerable, an easy target if he wanted to take the tags right now. As exciting to him as she was he couldn't injure her now, on the contrary, it seemed better to protect her if possible. After seeing her performance during their first meeting, he had an idea of what her abilities were. If these suspicions were correct, her limitless potential meant that she would eventually become the ultimate toy.

As the two of them continued walking, Ayumi's condition seemed to deteriorate which became more apparent as her movements increasingly stiffened. Hisoka observed her out of the corner of his eye and found her attempts at concealing the predicament quite amusing. "Will you be alright?" he wasn't worried about her well being; he simply wanted to tease her. Both knew the answer to his question was an obvious no, but he wanted to force her to admit it herself.

Ayumi glared at him then mustered up her remaining strength to quicken her pace and push ahead of him. The decision to force herself ahead was clearly a horrible long-term option, but she felt that the bluff was imperative to maintaining some extent of dominance. She couldn't trust him with control yet. After all, Hisoka had attacked her with intent to kill just a few hours ago. It wouldn't be surprising if he were to take advantage of the opening and kill her now.

"I'm fine." She winced from sudden stomach pain coursing through her body.

Hisoka took note of this. If she would stop being so reckless and used the bit of stamina she had left efficiently, they'd easily make it to the site of the next phase before the end of the night together. He'd protect her for now, simply because he wouldn't want her potential squandered by a boring examinee. He threw an arm over her shoulder, forcing her to slow down and spare her energy.

"You really shouldn't lie to your _partner_." She couldn't help but shiver at his flirtatious tone.

"Don't touch me." Ayumi callously shook him off, but compliantly walked at the pace he set for her.

Hisoka chuckled. Ayumi merely shot what was intended to be an intimidating glare at him. He responded with a falsely innocent, playful smile. Each thought the other incredibly childish, however, in Ayumi's case, she believed him to be annoyingly childish. She was wary of his untrustworthy presence and observant eyes. The two continued on in silence for many more hours.

Stars filled the blanket of dark indigo above them. The crescent moon hanging above illuminated the area, and the fog had cleared almost completely. Ayumi would've been able to see even if she hadn't met Hisoka's golden eyes. The screams heard at the beginning of the exam had died out long ago. Only the sounds of their shallow breaths remained.

Hisoka had been keeping a close eye on Ayumi during their trek through the forest. She was more than just a partner; she was a delicious unripe fruit. Regrettably, bad luck appeared to be with her today, clear from the sharp decrease in her condition over the past few hours. She feigned strength, but they both knew she was in no condition to fight for now. She was currently so weak that had she not presented her skills when she did, Hisoka wouldn't have gone through the trouble of keeping her around. She was a fantastic toy in need of new batteries; however, he was running out of patience. His excitement for her was reaching its limit; he needed to kill. Soon.

Hisoka decided to break the silence, knowing she needed to conserve strength. "We should continue in the morning." He anticipated an attack soon; whom it would originate from he didn't know. Regardless of who initiated the attack, he guessed that Ayumi would need the energy if she hoped to escape alive.

"I can keep going." Ayumi resisted him. She was scared of what he might do to her if they stopped. Weakness wasn't something she could afford to show. He was a murderer, a stranger, and a pervert, capable of anything. Imagining what he could do to her scared her beyond words.

After much convincing, Ayumi sighed and still refused to lie down as he wanted but was willing to lean against a nearby tree to watch each other for the remainder of the night.

Hisoka was temporarily satisfied with the compromise, taking advantage of the time to learn. "Care to tell me details about your abilities?" He looked at her with seductive eyes, an action she found almost irresistible yet weirdly unfitting with the question.

"I'd r-rather not," she stuttered.

"We can exchange. I'll tell you about my _Elastic Love_. It has the pro–"

"It has the properties of both gum and rubber. I already know." She cut him off. "Let's keep going." Ayumi started deeper into the forest, clearly irritated by the magician.

Hisoka gave an unimpressed look mixed with irritation and a great deal of restraint. He roughly pushed her down to the ground causing her to wince. "Stop pretending and rest." Then swiftly knocked her out, not wanting to take any more risks with her persistence.

Hisoka then carried her limp body with him and placed her on a bed of soft grass. He lay down next to her temporarily to assure that she would stay asleep when he searched for a different victim. He felt his pants become tight with notice of her child-like innocence as she slept. The closeness of their bodies caused the thin smile tugging at his lips to evolve into a smirk. The urge to kill mysteriously disappeared, but his excitement for her remained. In the past, the urge to fight and the desire to have pain inflicted on him while doing so had always been accompanied by arousal. Now, that familiar tingling excitement lingered along with his desire for pain; however, he lacked the craving to fight and kill.

Hisoka quickly stood up and headed away from Ayumi. She was dangerous. He had to find a solution to this precarious sensation coursing throughout his entire body. He was conflicted over how to find his release. Murder couldn't satisfy this lust.

Eventually the magician had wandered away far enough to prevent himself from attacking her, but still close enough to rush back if anyone with ill intentions approached. He needed her alive. If she still had the stamina, she could have easily protected herself. An instinctive moan escaped his lips as Hisoka recalled the hostile look Ayumi gave him when they first met. He felt it best to keep his distance until his heart rate slowed, but his body told him to return to her. Hisoka complied and made his way back. Suddenly, he felt the presence of two others headed in the same direction. His eyes widened, his mind went blank, and pants tightened more if that were even possible. The full magnitude of his lust returned and he immediately rushed in to attack.

When he reached the clearing, he found two examinees squatted over Ayumi's body. Whatever their intent, Hisoka became filled with selfish anger. That toy belonged to him. His vision suddenly went black, followed by the sound of short-lived screams. A warm liquid trickled down his hands as the cards they held pierced through a flimsy surface. Two loud thuds were heard in midst of the incident. An addictive faint metallic smell filled the air. He felt his body tremble as he savored every sensation given to him. Euphoric satisfaction washed over him, drowning his senses in ecstasy. His body finally found its release, almost rendering him unconscious from the intense pleasure. Gradually he regained his consciousness as the relief faded away.

Now that Hisoka was in a relatively sane state of mind, he checked the bodies for their tags. Neither had any, not even their own. He sighed in disappointment then casually strolled over to Ayumi in a pool of blood. He plunged into a state of worried panic, staring at the girl seemingly drowning in a puddle of red. He swiftly lifted her out of it bridal style, hoping she was unharmed or at least salvageable. He couldn't tell if she was injured and was incapable of recalling whom he attacked. All he could remember was the addictive feeling of warmth dribbling down his fingers.

Suddenly, Ayumi's eyes fluttered open and she found herself waking to a wide-eyed Hisoka. A splotch of blood cascaded down his cheek, smearing the light green paint as it fell. Her clothes felt soaked on her back, as if he'd dunked her into a lake, and parts of her hair were crusted. Hisoka's muscular arms wrapped tightly around Ayumi's delicate figure. The last thing she remembered of being awake was a sharp pain on the nape of her neck before she was plunged into a gruesome nightmare. Putting all the clues together, her immediate assumption was that this clown-like magician had injured her knowing she was weak. Ayumi cried out and began to struggle in an attempt to escape his firm hold on her. Of course her attempt was a complete failure, but this fact did not prevent her from wriggling around in his grasp.

The girl's energy relieved Hisoka of his worry; she was clearly unharmed, meaning that he still had his reliable source of entertainment.

"Hey there _sleeping beauty_ ," he teased, flashing her another playful smile.

"I knew I shouldn't have trusted you! Let me go!" Ayumi continued her useless squirming.

"Why should I when you haven't even the energy to move me?" Ayumi gave him a shocked look. He was right; her struggling hadn't altered the situation at all. He simply stared back at her, tempting her with his eyes. She felt herself gulp in anticipation of his next action, as he brought his face closer to hers. "Do you understand what is happening?" he whispered when their lips were just an inch away. Ayumi shyly shook her head. Her cheeks were tinted with the slightest bit of scarlet. Her mind was so dazed by the combination of his piercing gaze, strong embrace, and teasingly flirtatious tone that she may not mind if he were to kill her right now. Ayumi's heart raced with nervousness. This disturbing, perverted stranger shouldn't affect her this much. She herself didn't understand why she had stopped resisting the obviously dangerous character.

"I guess I'll have to make you understand," Hisoka growled. Ayumi's breath hitched while he set her down on the ground. Now he was towering over her helpless body; she eagerly stared up at him, yearning for his attention. "Staring is impolite you know," Hisoka broke eye contact with her and gestured for her to look around.

A wave of disappointment washed over Ayumi when he abruptly pulled away. It took a moment for her to realize her surroundings. Two lifeless bodies laid on the ground flopped over each other in a puddle of red. Both corpses were adorned with cuts, a particularly clean, deep slice in each of their necks. Hisoka quickly explained how he found the two men squatted around her in her sleep, but conveniently excluded… _certain details_.

Ayumi looked back at Hisoka, realizing her mistake. Guilt immediately washed over her from how rude she had been to him. She owed him enough to disclose some information and if she played her cards right (no pun intended), this encounter initially regarded as unfortunate could prove to be an important connection later on.

Hisoka continued his apathetic facade, standing with his well-toned arms crossed on his chest. He had a disgruntled expression, under the pretense of manipulating the girl into further guilt. Ayumi sat up and held her head down, avoiding eye contact. Her thin arms wrapped around her knees, securing Ayumi in a fetal position. After a few minutes of sniffling, she spoke up. "Copying."

Hisoka's eyes interestingly darted back to her again. "Hmmm?"

Ayumi wiped away her tears and looked up to him again with puffy red eyes, "I imitate other people's abilities."

Hisoka's interest in her spiked. He took a seat next to her, craving for more detail. "To what extent?" he requested.

Ayumi quickly gathered her thoughts. She trusted him more now and oddly he seemed to trust her as well despite all that had happened. In fact, his whimsical behavior may have kindled something more than just trust. It was an inexplicable feeling, one she wished to dismiss. Ayumi was willing to tell him basic details about her powers. Lying to him would be pointless if they actually worked together; yet telling him everything was obviously a dangerous idea. In addition, Ayumi worried that knowledge of certain drawbacks may discourage him from supporting her any longer.

Ayumi released a breath she didn't realize she had been holding and decided to explain. "I copy other people. If I see it, I can do it myself, but it takes the same amount of aura and stamina. " Ayumi touched a finger to Hisoka's cheek before taking it back, pulling a hot pink strand along with it. Hisoka's cheek stretched and Ayumi swiftly released the gooey substance, letting his face spring back to shape with a distinct smack sound. She let out a soft giggle at his displeased expression from her mischief. "I can also imitate agility, flexibility, and even vision from seeing a person's body. Obviously I can't copy other senses because I can't see them." Ayumi then curiously extended her arm and flexed, but her wimpy lack of muscle made the action seem largely disheartening to anyone watching, much less it's owner. "I was born with a weak body and physical strength, stamina and total amount of aura take a lot of training and resources so imitating those takes much more effort than it's worth."

"So you're a specialist." Hisoka raised an eyebrow at her intriguing abilities and repositioned a card. Yet something didn't seem quite right; she was hiding something, though so was he. Hisoka dismissed the thought for now, figuring he could find out later if it mattered enough and decided to confirm the obvious instead. "It's related to the reason you suddenly became so famished."

Ayumi nodded in reply, "I don't know what a Specialist is, but rapid increases in abilities causes my metabolism work faster depending on the person. Put simply, the stronger the person I copy, the more I'll permanently have to eat," Ayumi paused before continuing. "I packed enough earlier for me to have been able to finish the first phase with surplus. You're just so strong that I had to eat up everything I had and it still wasn't near enough."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Hisoka admired the joker card he pulled out. It was a wild card in many games; it could be used in place of another card. He always thought himself to resemble it as he had always been around to stir things up, an unexpected player. Upon hearing the details of Ayumi's power, he concluded that she was a toy with limitless potential. In the right circumstances, she could pose as any kind of player in this game, a true joker.

Hisoka stood up, pulling an unsuspecting Ayumi with him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and hoisted her over his shoulder like a sack of rice. "We're going now. Sleep if you need to." Before the actions even registered in her head, he had taken off with her. After much confusion and resistance, she gave in and went to sleep on the condition he would carry her in a more comfortable position.

They reached the end of the forest before the night was over. A booming voice woke Ayumi. "Congratulations! You're the first pair. Im impressed; you finished in under twenty-four hours even though the deadline is over a day away!" The large examiner paused to observe the eccentric pair, observing the girl to be painfully weak in comparison to the murderous man carrying her before finishing his greeting. "Welcome to the site of Phase Two!"

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 **For the record, Ayumi's description of her power really basic despite how detailed it may seem now. There's much more to learn ;)**

 **BTW** **thank you all for the reviews and favorites! Seeing that others are enjoying this motivates me to continue writing out all my ideas :) Since before posting chapter 1, I unintentionally put a lot of thought into this story so I had alot of the plot mapped out before starting. I do intend for this to become a longer story, however** **updates will be coming less frequently now since summer is coming to a close and all :(  
**


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